CHAPTER 139 – A Christmas Miracle
Christmas music played softly in the background. Colored lights blinked on and off on the tree. Christmas was near. Abigail sat contentedly by Dad’s feet while he worked on the computer. Suddenly, she heard him gasp.
“OMG, Abigail. Look at this poor rabbit!” exclaimed Dad. There on the screen was an adorable black Dwarf rabbit with a tooth over an inch long sticking out of her mouth. Dad knew that rabbits’ teeth were constantly growing, so they needed to chew on things to keep them worn down. He had heard that if their teeth were misaligned, they could grow out and would need to be trimmed. But he had never seen anything this bad.
Abigail looked in disbelief. She wondered, “How does she eat? That must be so uncomfortable. How did that happen?” Dad explained, “Well sweetie, unfortunately, not all humans think of their rabbits as family members. Obviously, someone didn’t take very good care of this rabbit. Sadly, sometimes humans fail their animals. Her name is Hopscotch. She’s 8 years old. She has some large abscesses that need to be removed, she needs to be spayed, and her front teeth will need to be removed. It will cost thousands of dollars. But she’s in good hands now with Auntie Heather at the Rabbit Haven. Auntie Heather says she’s determined to give Hopscotch a great life to make up for what she’s been through.”
Abigail thumped. She hated to see bunnies mistreated. She felt particularly bad for Hopscotch, since she was a fellow Dwarf rabbit. Abigail looked up at Dad, “Can we help? Can we give her some of the money we raised from selling the bling shirts?” Dad replied, “Yes, of course baby. I’ll take care of it right away. The Rabbit Haven has a matching donor right now, so whatever we contribute will be twice as much!”
Dad clicked away on the keyboard and announced, “OK, done. It won’t cover all the bills, but it’s a good start. Hopefully, some others will help, too!” Abigail was grateful that people had supported her cause by buying shirts. At least she could do something to help Hopscotch.
A few days later, Dad approached Abigail and said, “Abigail, I have someone I want you to meet.” Dad scooped up Abigail (she hated to be picked up) and brought her out to the garage and set her down on a table beside another bunny. Dad introduced them, “This is Hopscotch. Hopscotch, this is Abigail. She is helping you get better.” Abigail sniffed at Hopscotch and sat down beside her.
Abigail wiggled her nose and said, “Hi, I’m Abigail. I heard about you. Are you OK?” Abigail listened wide-eyed as Hopscotch recounted her harrowing tale to her. Hopscotch wiggled back, “But things are much better now. They removed my ‘tusk’ so now it’s much easier to eat and drink. I have a nice clean place to live. I’ve heard them saying that I’m going to have to have surgery to remove this big lump under my chin. I’m kinda scared about that.” Abigail reassured Hopscotch, “I’m sorry your last human failed you. But don’t worry. You’re in the best of hands now. You’re going to be OK. I promise. I’ll do everything I can to help you. I hope you have a nice Christmas.”
Hopscotch said, “Actually, I already had a Christmas miracle. I was rescued!”
Abigail listens wide-eyed as Hopscotch recounts her harrowing life and how she ended up with a "tusk" growing out of her mouth and a huge lump under her chin.
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